How to Start Preparing

I'm planning on taking the LSAT in June 2011. I do not plan on taking any prep courses and I'm going to start studying in January. I'm giving myself 5 months to prepare. On average how many hours a week should I put in? I've read 7 hours/week.

I'm taking the LSAT in June too, so I'm no expert, but I have heard 2 hours/day on weekdays, off on weekends, 1 full length exam per week (Fridays for example) is a good regimen if you are not taking a course. I will be taking a course but will follow a similar routine starting in January.

I would say you are looking at a minimum of 8 hours per week. That 8 hours is one test, plus going over it to determine what you got right, what you got wrong, and WHY you did so. IF you get something right because you guessed, that does not really help you.

You also want to spend a couple of hours per week going over concepts such as question types and formal logic. FOrmal logic I believe is what separates a 160 from a 170

The amount of study you need depends on where you're scoring now, and where you need to score to get into the schools you want to go to. If you're scoring 160, and you only need a 150 to get in, your required study hours are zero. Without knowing you or your stats, there is no way to tell you how long to study.

I will, however, encourage you to go for the highest score you can get. Even if you are geographically attached to a school, high scores make for good scholarships. That being said, I highly recommend taking a class or hiring a tutor. It's a worthwhile investment.

The amount of study you need depends on where you're scoring now, and where you need to score to get into the schools you want to go to. If you're scoring 160, and you only need a 150 to get in, your required study hours are zero. Without knowing you or your stats, there is no way to tell you how long to study.

I will, however, encourage you to go for the highest score you can get. Even if you are geographically attached to a school, high scores make for good scholarships. That being said, I highly recommend taking a class or hiring a tutor. It's a worthwhile investment.

As always, EarlCat provides good advice. A note from a colleague struck me: the LSAT is one-half (or more) of the admissions decision for most schools, for most applicants. To combine this with EarlCat's second point, there's almost no level of preparation that's too much. (The same applies for the bar exam . . . and, ahem, just about every case you'll ever work on as an attorney.)

I couldn't afford a prep course, way back when, which is perhaps why I share this: You should take an intensive course AND also study about as much as you would for a full semester's coursework. Overboard? Perhaps. But chances are you'll relish every one of those additional points.